iPhone 5 with In-Cell Touch Display Could Be Thinner and Lighter

According to DigiTimes, Apple will likely use in-cell touch panels from Sharp and Toshiba Mobile Display in the iPhone 5. The current iPhone panel has multiple layers with a conductive touch layer put on top of the display. These new panels will combine everything into a single layer.

By combining the display and touch layers of the screen, the iPhone 5 will be thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4/4S. The device should also have better touch responsiveness.

According to Mac Observer, Apple’s current panel providers, TPK Holdings and Wintek, don’t have panels with in-cell technology. TPK is working on a “touch on lens” panel, which is similar but can scale to larger displays. TPK won’t have the panels ready until later this year, however. Both Sharp and Toshiba Mobile Display already have production lines ready to create the panels needed.

The single layer space savings could also allow Apple to place a larger battery to accomodate the power draw of 4G LTE.

According to other recent rumors, the iPhone 5 will also have 4G LTE for data and voice, and a liquid metal back. These are all just rumors for now, and might end up being false. As the iPhone 5 launch draws closer we’ll start to see more accurate rumors. For now we’re just going on what Apple could be planning for the mass production of the phone.

The next iPhone might also be larger than the current iPhone 4S. It’s unclear what changes Apple would make to the device to support a larger screen, however. All we know is the iPhone 5 might have a 4-inch screen instead of a 3.5-inch screen, which has some of us excited.

People that are still waiting for the iPhone 5 will likely be waiting a long time. Some rumors say the next iPhone will launch in June, but many others say the launch is sometime in October. Two months isn’t a long time to wait for a new iPhone, but five months definitely is. Those who need a new phone right now, and want an iPhone, are better off buying an iPhone 4 or 4S instead of waiting.

4 Comments

Jiovannitantillo

04/21/2012 at 4:30 pm

all i need is the iphone 5. now i have an at@t smart phone which i have had for too long now. dad said he will get me one if i make a certain level in school im already close enough to catch up. man, all i hope for is the iphone 5 to come out sooner rather than later. :)